Disk clutch



C. G. SliTZ, msK cLuCvH. APPLICATION FILED SEPT 24, l 920.

Patented may'. 9,

C, SEETZ.y

DISK @SLUL'ML APPLicATmN man 35.0124. 1920.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES G. SEITZ, F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

UNITED STATES DISK CLUTCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1922.

Application tiled September 24, 1920. Serial No. 412,453.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES G. Snrrz, a

citizen of the United States of America, re-

sidin and tate of Michigan, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements lin Disk Clutches, of which the'following is aspecification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

I discs and the driven and driving members f thlus reducing wear.

A further object is to provide for effective lubrication of theinterior' bearings. Another is tol provide a form of release yoke andbearing that will reduce the pressure required to release the clutch andyet be automatically adjustable to variations of distances betweenclutch shaft and pedal shaft centers in diiierent makes oftransmissions.

In the drawings, I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention of avform suitable for use between the engine and transmission of anautomobile, but it will be obvious that many variations in the de signand structure of the various elements may be made without departing fromthe principles of my invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a preferred form of my invention;

' 7 Fig. 2 is a front elevation looking in the direction of the arrowsat the ends of line II-II in Fig. 1, the shaft being 1n section* f Fig.3 is an elevation of the release yoke; Fig. 4 is an edge view and Eig. 5a front elevation of the lugs ot a modlied form of disk- Fig. 6 isasection through adjacent inner and outer disks having the sameform oflug as in Figs. 4 and 5;

Figs. 7, 8, and 9 are edge, front and sectional views respectivelyofanother modii tcation of the lugs, and

at Detroit, in the county of Wayne motors.

Figs. 10 and 1,1 are a side elevation and edge vlew partly-'in sectionof another modiiication of the lugs.

The driving member or crank shaft 1- has at its end the fly wheel 2secured by means of bolts 3. The face of the fly wheel remote from4 thecrank shaft is recessed to forni an annular rim 4 formed with anundercut groove 5 to facilitate the operation of planing the ways orchannels 6, of which six are shown spaced about the inner circumferenceof the rim 4.

A ball bearing 47 mounted concentrically of the crank shaft supports theend of the clutch shaft- 8, to which is keyed the inner drum or diskcarrying member 9, shown as a cast metal member having a plurality ofways or. channels 10 formed in its outer periphery, and having anoutwardly directed fiange 11 against which the disks 12, 13, and

14, and the disk facings 15 are pressed by the pressure plate 16. Theplate 16 is shown as formed of sheet metal bearing at its iiangedperiphery 17 against the adjacent packing disks 15, and provided withbent up lugs y18 engaging the sides of the projecting portion of thedrum 9 inwhich lie the channels 10. The drum 9 has bosses 19 internallythreaded to receive the spring bolts 20, these bosses being long topermit a considerable amount of adjustment of the screws without dangerof the screw projecting beyond the inner tace where it could come incontact with the surface of the fiy wheel 2 or any projections such asbolt heads or studs used in securing the iy wheel to the flange on theshaft 1 in some types of The tubular boss 19 extends into the interiorof the spring 21 and provides a simple way to hold it in place. Itisdesil-able in a clutch of this kind to have the springs as long aspossible, but if the springs are too long they will strike the yoke whenthe clutch is released. vBy the use of a thin sheet meta-l lock plate22, recessed at 23 to recess 23 to engage a groove 25 in the bolt headlto lock it from rotation.-

, Each of the disks 12 and 14 consistsof an annular plate of sheet tineprojecting lug. 26 .bent at substantielly rin angles to the plane of theplatej tbe endsot thelug 26 being ormed'as Wings 27 bent to lie in aplane at rigbta-ngles to the plane of the lug and aft right angles tothe piene of the disk, extending on both sides or the plane of the disk.These Wings bear re siliently against the. sides of the Ways or channels6 to prevent lost motion and rattle.v

The inodication shown in Figs. .i., 5, and l has lng 28 yatsubstantially right angles .Y to the dien9 a lug 29 struck up from theeen tral portion of the lug 28 end lying at an angle thereto, and twoside lugs or wings 30, 30, both. lying on the same side. oit the planeof the disk. The lug 29 beers either outward against the bottom of Vthechannel 6 in the rim l? or inward in the intermediate disk to engage thebottoni of the channel l0. This gives` a resilient bearing radially ofthe shaft.

In tbe modilieation shown in.. l". B.

and 9, the centrall ng '3l is bent, outward and returned upon itself tolie-.atl .ingle to the plane ofY the disk suelo that the outer end ofthe'lug extends beyond the ple .,f olf the edges of the side $2-, toengage the bottoni of the ebennel or channel l0 with a resilientbearing. The side lugs 32. 32 are bent to one side of the plane of thedisk, then retur ed on themselves to lie aeross the plane of the "ilieyprovide a Wide resilient bearing against the sides ol the channel 6 orchannel. vl0. ln tbe 'form shown in Figs. 10 and il, the 'projecting lngconsists of an extension 3S 'folded been ond liortb `to provide a. wideedge bearing of snllieient 'thickness to give Wearing surlee.

s many disls'nojv be used desired to give enough ifrietional surface5the usuel friction packing l5 in the forni of annular dislrs of`substantially tbe same as tbe body of the disks l2 or may be secured thesheetrnetel in any usual or suitable nner.

In assembling, disks with inwardly 'pro jecting lugs ore made toalternate disks having outwardly projeeting logs, e. layer of packingbeing interposed' it desired. Since the Wings 27, 30,' or` extend transversely of the plane of the diskto provide a Wide bearing surface. theends oi these Wings might comek into Contact with each other if thelong` Wings `to two' l ment outer disks or two adjacent. inner-'disksla?,T in the saine channels. To avoid this in the present embodiment lform the disks' with only' two projecting lugl formations each7arranged. diametrically opposite eael'i other, and set tbe sueeessive'disks in soeeessive channels around the periphery. lf sinv ebannels areformed in the inner drum for efzample, or in the rim 1l., the first diskwould engage two opposite channels, the next simi ning two einiioels sothat each eli..n. 'would have onlyY one lng; formation. '.'ourtli dist;would then be arr n Y:

n its lugs in the same eliminels es t n. the irsta but with two similardisks ond three o the other set lying between, giving suiiieientthickness to provide for a lon; wing on each disk.

lt is obvious that eeen disk could neve more than two lug orinati'ifisso long), es enoughY channels 'are provided to permit the staggeredarrangement keeping the lugs out of' contact with eaei other." lnoperative position5 the disks are liel'd n Contact by the 'pressure oftbe springs SZI. acting on tbe pressure floiate 16. l provide a pressureplate lindo 34, haring s ilaring7 end il?) en raging the interior ofopen boss 3G los-med centrally of tbe pressure plate 16, :md helftyieldabiy 'thereto by a. spring 37 engaging; holes in the boss end .inthe flaring emi. This loose joint provides for unequal 'weer of themotel disks or for irregiailarities in the tliieinfiess olf' the berWashers l5. ,llw pressure plate hub 34 is internally tbreodrd to reeeivethe release bearing sleere 2552.. set sere'iv 39 holding the hub andsleeve in. their position of proper freljustmamt. fr wire may be used asshown Aif() to boul the screw from working loose.

A. release bearing retainer #El sorroinulrlf the sleeve 38 and enelosesthe ball liefrvinfi At opposite sides oi' the member :iro elmnnols t3 inwhich the gguidw` lilo@ are slidably mounted. and tlv e ffnirr have t.;ei'igaged bja l lo 'von on the release volte -fl secured o im andoperated in, the densi manner,

lt will be noted that the relie trmn'xiom: in the blocks fel lie abovethe center of.' the release bearing' end Vtbn shorter lever armthus-afforded reduces tln, pressure quired on the clot l pedo?. tocinto". 1 distano' von: be lot/.ib

-, reless 1 'r with dil'. A this mounting oi" ing blocks will 'tolterare al' :r ijf;` n deieble variation with little change n e pressureused on the `foot pedal.

` lubrieatinrg systenl provided for the Sl G lili

e n a duet iea eomninnieates tliron enten sin eine channel l boss on theclamping plate, and means operatively connected with the hub to withdrawthe clamping plate from clamping engage ment with the disks.

11. In a clutch, a clutch shaft, a drum secured to the clutch shaft, a.driving member, a plurality -of disks having resilient rings, the drumand the drivin member each having portions parallel to t e axis of Vtheshaft adaptedto engage With Wings on some 0f the disks, the Wingsextending transversely of the plane of the disks and engagingalternately with the drum and the driving member, ,the points ofengagement of the disksv with the drum and with the driving member beingspaced angularly a sufficient distance to avoidinterference.

12. A clutch comprising a driving member and a driven member, a seriesof friction disks connecting them, a spring-pressed pressure plate toclamp the disks into frictional engagement, a pressure releasing elementoperatively engaging said pressure plate, a bearing for said element, aretainer for said bearing, channels in opposite sides of the retainer,guide blocks slidably mounted in the channels, va release yoke havingtrunnions pivotally mounted in the guide blocks, and means to operatethe release yoke.

13. A structure as defined in claim 12, in which the release yoke ismounted to oscillate on an axis parallel with the axis of the trunnionsand spaced laterally therefrom.

14. A clutch comprising a member having a plurality of channels formedtherein parallel with its axis, a series of friction disks each having aplurality of projecting lugs, the lugs ofeach disk having portionsprojecting transversely to the plane of the disk to a point beyond thepiane of the adjacent disk, the number of channels in the clutch memberbeing a multiple of the number of lugs on a disk and the lugs ofadjacent disks being placed in different channels.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence o f two Witnesses.

` CHARLES G. SEITZ. Witnesses O. F. BARTHEL, MARY ALBIETY.

